Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoelectric module comprising a housing, which has at least two opposite walls, a plurality of thermoelectric elements, which have at least two opposite surfaces, and a plurality of conductive bridges, whereby at least two thermoelectric elements are connected to a conductive bridge, and the thermoelectric elements, with one of the surfaces thereof, are in thermal contact with a support element, whereby a combination of at least two thermoelectric elements and a conductive bridge is in thermal contact with a support element.
Description of the Background Art
In order to utilize energy that is contained in the exhaust gas of a motor vehicle, for example, thermoelectric elements may be employed that produce electrical energy by using the Seebeck effect.
The thermoelectric elements includes thermoelectrically active materials, which allow electrical energy to be produced from a temperature difference at the interfaces of the thermoelectric elements. To this end, the thermoelectric materials should be exposed to a temperature difference, so that one of their interfaces is subjected to a fluid with a high temperature and one of their interfaces, in the ideal case the surface opposite the first interface, to a fluid with a lower temperature.
The exhaust gas line lends itself as a source for a fluid with a high temperature, particularly in the motor vehicle. The exhaust gas temperatures are very high over the entire exhaust gas line, so that a thermoelectric device that contains thermoelectric materials can be integrated at many places in the exhaust gas line.
A coolant stream of the vehicle, for example, lends itself as a source for a fluid with a lower temperature. For this purpose, either an already present coolant circuit can be expanded, or if necessary an additional coolant circuit can be integrated.
Among others, tellurides, skutterudites, silicides, or Half-Heusler materials can be used as the thermoelectric material.
These and other thermoelectric materials have in common that they are sensitive to mechanical effects such as, for instance, stresses and impacts. Thermally induced stresses occur at times in thermoelectric devices known today. These result in expansion and compression of the material, experienced by the material due to temperature effects.
In particular the non-optimal prevention of thermal stresses within thermoelectric devices and thereby the protection of thermoelectric elements from damage are disadvantageous in the prior art.